Kays Translations

Volume One: Banished to the Frontier, and Imprisoned  

Chapter 1: Imprisoned in an Old Castle

The old castle in the frontier forest. The place where I am to be confined is owned by the Forlant royal family, but it’s a building that has long since fallen out of use.

(Even if they tell me to hide my presence, if I’m sent to a place like this, I might as well be dead by tomorrow.)

Staying in the royal palace, I wouldn’t be in danger unless the Royal capital fell. But once you come to this region— to put it in game terms —the safety level drops significantly.

For example, bandits could break Into the old castle. Since the windows of the carriage were covered the whole time, I couldn’t see outside, but just from the scenery when I got out, I could roughly tell which area I was in.

If I’m kept here in confinement, eventually some unfortunate incident or accident might occur, and the princess confined inside could die.

(Even though it’s to protect the royal reputation, my father is strict… no, maybe it’s not just him?)

The person who loudly declared the ritual a failure seems to be a man named Count Vandell. He clearly despises me quite a lot—he even looked like he was considering killing me— he was angry enough to have acted under the pretext of covering up the royal family’s failure.

As I was being guided through the old castle, I was lost in thought—well, the map of this place is just an empty area even when I came here during the game, so I have enough mental space to think that making this my living space might actually be interesting.

(It’s considered “confinement”, so it’ll probably get tough soon. But still…)

The person leading me was the caretaker of the old castle. They were wearing a mask, and from their mannerisms it was unclear whether they were male or female, but they appeared to be in their mid-teens.

“This will be the princess’s cell… your living quarters,” they said.

The rusty iron door has a small window placed low, probably for delivering meals and other things. It’s more of a proper prison than I expected.

“Where are the guards who accompanied me?”

“They are not stationed here, but in a nearby village. Only I and a few others will be on guard at the castle.”

Apparently, a small guard force is sufficient for this castle. Since it’s an abandoned fortress, that’s fine. If it were a fully functioning stronghold, it wouldn’t be so simple.

While I was thinking about this, the masked person gestured for me to enter the cell. They took care to avoid touching me, considering my status as a noble—I was being treated better than I had thought – or so I thought, but that was just until I got inside.

(This… looks like there are bones buried at my feet.)

I’ve heard that this old castle had been used as a prison before. It was only hinted at what happened to the people who were imprisoned here previously, but I imagine most of them are probably dead.

There’s no stone floor—just the exposed ground with a minimal bedding area, and a window quite high up. The walls are made of piled stones, but with my current physical ability, I doubt I could climb them.

There’s a worn-out wooden stand that resembled a desk, with a drawer attached. There was also one chair —definitely uncomfortable for someone used to the luxurious throne of the palace.

“You seem pretty  calm, even though you were taken away from the royal palace and brought to this remote place… and by remote place I mean an inconvenient place like this.”

I pause to think—how should I behave from now on?

I remember the ten years I had lived as a princess. With many brothers and sisters, I’m far from the line of succession, and eventually I was told I’d have to marry off in a political alliance to the neighboring country. That’s what everyone around me expected.

(Well, since things turned out like this, I avoided becoming a political pawn… but what exactly should I aim for now?)

Should I pretend to be powerless and look for a way to escape?

Or should I try to gather even one ally who might listen to me? I don’t know if this is the right way to do that, but I’ll go with what feels most like myself.

“I don’t need your concern. I’ve accepted that escape is pointless, so I’m just preparing myself.”

“Hhh…”

　The masked person’s reaction will be one of two – will he think I’m a cheeky child, or not…I can’t tell.

“…My apologies. I wasn’t aware you had already made up your mind to come here with such resolve,” he said.

(That’s not really the case at all, but…)

Someone accustomed to the luxurious beds of the palace would go mad spending a night in this cell—this environment is that harsh.

But it’s not as far beyond my imagination as I feared. In the games I played in my previous life, there were characters who were chained up in prisons, so being able to move freely was still better―― or so I thought.

With a clang, something was attached to my feet. It wasn’t the masked person, but a gaunt man who had come in unnoticed, attaching shackles to my legs.

“Princess, I apologize. To prevent you from doing anything unseemly, we have to keep you restrained like this.”

(Actually, please don’t talk to me from below… It’s bad manners.)

I’d like to get angry, but without guards around, I can’t afford to do anything reckless. I simply smile and endure. The man, as if to mock me, stood up, bowed politely and places a hand on the masked man’s shoulder.

“Don’t think about unnecessary things, Reis. We’re just hired help,” he said.

“I’m just doing my job. Please don’t make baseless accusations,”

 the masked man—Reis, I wonder if that’s his real name—said as he gently brushed away the hand on his shoulder. The man just smirked and then glanced at me before leaving.

“…He’s one of the castle guards. He probably brought the shackles, but I apologize for the rudeness.” 

“No, it’s fine. If there are shackles, then…”

“Bathing is allowed once every three days. If you need anything else, you can call out to me through the window at the door when I’m here. There’s also a door knocker, but be aware that someone other than me might come when you use it,” Reis explained.

He seems to be trustworthy, but if everyone else in the castle is like that man, I won’t be able to let my guard down at all.

Still, even in another world, Reis is ‘Reis.’ No matter how gentle he seems, there’s probably some reason he’s doing this kind of work—that’s the kind of person he is, someone I shouldn’t pry into too much.

“Thank you for your concern. I will try not to trouble you too much,” I said.

“If you can’t sleep, just tell me. I can help.”

They probably have sleeping medicine or something—although I can’t deny the possibility that I won’t be able to sleep since my bed has suddenly become so shabby.

When I entered the room, the door was naturally closed and locked. It’s almost pitch dark, but my eyes are gradually adjusting. I don’t even feel like asking for a light now, and even if I did, I’m not sure if anyone would respond.

After a long journey, my body was utterly exhausted. I somehow managed to move the stones that might hit me, then curled up in the corner of the room and closed my eyes—when you’re tired, you can fall asleep anywhere.

(Starting tomorrow… I need to find a way to escape…)

There’s something I’ve always wanted to try. I can’t do it in my original world, but in this one, maybe I can—it’s “leveling up.”

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